Assistant with Bard video may show how it’ll work and when it could land on your Pixel

New footage has leaked for Google’s Assistant with Bard demonstrating how the digital AI helper could work at launch.

Nail Sadykov posted the video on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) after discovering the feature on the Pixel Tips app. Apparently, Google accidentally spilled the beans on its tech, so it’s probably safe to say this is legitimate. It looks like something you would see in one of the company’s Keyword posts explaining the feature in detail except there’s no audio.

There will, based on the clip, be two ways to activate Assistant with Bard: either by tapping the Bard app and saying “Hey Google” or pressing and holding the power button. A multimodular input box rises from the bottom where you can type in a text prompt, upload photos, or speak a verbal command. The demo proceeds to only show the second method by having someone take a picture of a wilting plant and then verbally ask for advice on how to save it. 

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A few seconds later, Assistant with Bard manages to correctly identify the plant in the image (it’s a spider plant, by the way) and generates a wall of text explaining what can be done to revitalize it. It even links to several YouTube videos at the end.

Assistant with Bard has something of a badly kept secret. It was originally announced back in October 2023 but has since seen multiple leaks. The biggest info dump by far occurred in early January revealing much of the user experience as well as “various in-development features.” What’s been missing up to this point is news on whether or not Assistant with Bard will have any sort of limitations. As it turns out, there may be a few restrictions.

Assistant Limitations

Mishaal Rahman, another industry insider, dove into Pixel Tips searching for more information on the update. He claims Assistant with Bard will only appear on single-screen Pixel smartphones powered by a Tensor chip. This includes the Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel 8 lines. Older models will not receive the upgrade and neither will the Pixel Tablet, Pixel Fold, or the “rumored Pixel Fold 2”.

Additionally, mobile devices must be running the Android 14 QPR2 beta “or the upcoming stable QPR2 release” although it’s most likely going to be the latter. Rahman states he found a publication date in the Pixels Tip app hinting at a March 2024 release. It’s important to point out that March is also the expected launch window for Android 14 QPR2 and the next Feature Drop for Pixel phones.

No word on whether or not other Android devices will receive Assistant with Bard. It seems it’ll be exclusive to Pixel for the moment. We could see the update elsewhere, however considering that key brands, like Samsung, prefer having their own AI, an Assistant with Bard expansion seems unlikely. But we could be wrong.

Until we learn more, check out TechRadar's list of the best Pixel phones for 2024.

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Samsung’s Apple Vision Pro rival tipped to land alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 6

The Apple Vision Pro has become a massive talking point in the tech world, and it promises to become one of the best virtual reality headsets when it's released next year. Now, Samsung wants to get in on the action with a headset of its own, and it could be revealed alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 6 in 2024.

We already know that Samsung is working with Google and Qualcomm to launch an extended reality (XR) headset at some point in the future (extended reality is a catch-all term that covers VR, AR, and MR or mixed reality). While Samsung hasn’t given any indication of a launch timeframe, Korean outlet JoongAng (translated version) claims it will launch by the end of 2024.

Specifically, it says the headset, supposedly codenamed ‘Infinite,’ will be produced by December of next year, and we’ll get our first peek at it during one of Samsung’s Unpacked events. Samsung usually hosts two of these shows every year, but JoongAng’s source says the headset will be revealed at the event held during “the second half of next year,” which is when the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is widely tipped to make an appearance.

The headset might have launched sooner, JoongAng says, but for delays caused by “product completeness” issues. Now, though, it looks like Samsung is closing in on a firm release date.

Seriously limited production

A VR headset cla in black plastic with a simple strap and six visible cameras on its faces

(Image credit: Vrtuoluo / Samsung)

Numerous reports have suggested that Apple has seriously cut back production of its Vision Pro, from around one million units to just 400,000 headsets a year. Yet even that dwarves the number of XR headsets Samsung is set to produce.

According to JoongAng, Samsung will initially limit production of the device to just 30,000 units. This is due to the company wanting to gauge the response to its device, and assess how the industry looks after launch. In other words, Samsung wants to play it extremely safe without having to dedicate itself to a niche device in a fluctuating market.

Part of the reason for Samsung’s uncertainty might be the price. JoongAng’s report didn’t quote an expected launch price, but stated that Samsung aims to engage in a “fierce battle for leadership” in the XR space. If that’s the case, it might be planning a high-end device with a costly price tag to match. And if that’s the case, it may want to see how the industry develops before committing too heavily to its headset.

Either way, it looks as though the XR headset battle might be about to heat up, with both Samsung and Apple working on challengers to the existing incumbents like the Meta Quest Pro. Whether it will be enough for these devices to break through into the mainstream, though, is anyone’s guess.

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